Application of condition-based maintenance in health care: A concept analysis

Chronic illness burdens individuals, organizations and society, costing the US $3.5 trillion annually. Transposed from the engineering industry, condition-based maintenance is a novel concept that holds great promise for alleviating this burden by enhancing current health care delivery methods. Aims of this concept analysis include, (a) develop an operational definition for the term condition-based maintenance and (b) discuss the applicability and effectiveness of condition-based maintenance as applied to health care. A search of engineering and health care literature was completed. The search term "condition-based maintenance" was entered into the PubMed, Wiley Interscience Journals, CINAHL, Journals@Ovid, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, and Emerald databases. A review of the literature was completed to identify the qualities of condition-based maintenance. Utilizing the Walker and Avant method, antecedents, characteristics, and consequences were identified. A conceptual model of condition-based maintenance was developed encompassing two antecedents, four characteristics, and three consequences. Furthermore, a theoretical definition of condition-based maintenance was derived. Focus on the positive effects of proactively monitoring symptoms among chronically-ill persons is needed. Condition-based maintenance advances the National Institute of Nursing Research's focus on symptom science through the development of personalized strategies to treat and prevent the adverse symptoms of illness.